Page 115 of Falling for the Grinchy Bad Boy

Joy had seen Lynn hanging all over me. She witnessed what looked like an intimate moment between us, and now she was gone. Running away from me again, just like she had in high school when things got complicated.

Except this time, it wasn’t her fault. This time, I was the one who’d let someone else’s manipulation come between us.

I pulled out my phone and typed a text message: You know that wasn’t what it looked like. And we still need to talk.

A text wasn’t going to fix this but I sent it anyway. Joy had seen what she’d seen, and no amount of explanation via text was going to undo the damage Lynn had just caused.

I needed to find Joy and explain in person. I needed to tell her that Lynn’s little performance meant nothing, that her grabbing onto me was manipulation and desperation, not any affection on my part.

But first, I had to find her. And judging by how quickly she’d disappeared, that was going to be easier said than done.

I started walking through the market again, this time with single-minded purpose. I checked every booth, every corner, every possible hiding place. Joy couldn’t have left the festival entirely—she was too responsible to abandon her post when the evening was in full swing. She had to be here somewhere.

I just hoped she’d be willing to listen when I found her.

She was the one person whose opinion mattered most.

Lynn had gotten exactly what she wanted. She played her hand perfectly. I walked right into her trap.

Now I had to figure out how to undo the damage before it was too late.

Before Joy decided that whatever was building between us wasn’t worth the complication and heartache.